Linux on 68k mac's
I put together this page to provide a couple of helpful tips.
Mini-FAQ
Is Mac Linux installation as easy as on a PC?
No. It's a bit tricky. But your distribution choice is easy. There is only one -- Debian.
Is a 230Mb drive big enough?
Not really. But if you have a decent clocked 68040, you can use ext2 compression. The patch found here applies quite cleanly to the 2.2.6 and 2.2.10 CVS kernels. (Yes, it requires kernel compilation... but you want to compile your own kernels anyway)
If you want to add another drive to your system, this page might be useful to read.
Do i still need MacOS?
Yes, unfortunately you do. However, 7.0.1 and 7.5.3 can be downloaded from apple, free of charge. I suggest you make a 30Mb MacOS partition on your drive with the HD SC Setup disk from 7.0.1, copy the 19(!) 1.1Mb smi files that contains MacOS 7.5.3 onto it, and do a 'custom' install. It fits. Barely.
Where can i find a swedish keymap?
What kind of performance should i expect?
S-l-o-w. My Quadra 700, e.g, is equivalent to a 486/66MHz. Compiling a 2.2.6 kernel takes about 2 hours.
How do i communicate with my PC?
If your mac doesn't have an onboard ethernet, get a null modem cable according to this (description is for a modem cable, just cross TxD/RxD and RTS/CTS). Be advised that 8-pin minidin's are tricky to solder.
Why doesn't the serial port go above 38400bps, and why does my modem hang up when i compile a kernel/copy a big file/sneeze?
Serial interrupt handling sucks in Linux-mac68k. If you must have a working serial port, consider NetBSD.
NFAQ (Not so Frequently Asked Questions)